August 7, 2022.

Winston had been summoned by the ape king twice in the last couple of days. Jenny insisted that he reject them and he listened to her. He didn't ask for an explanation and Jenny felt grateful for that. The ape king would poison him, but Jenny couldn't think of a way to explain that right now.

She was sure that Winston heard a lot about her thanks to her discussion with Mestor and his sensitive hearing. Jenny had yet to ask his opinion on the matter, but wasn't going to push it. They hadn't even known each other for a full week and Jenny didn't want to dump everything on him at once. A small voice in her head kept insisting that he would go to the dark side if she did.

Since Winston was effectively grounded for reasons outside of his control, he helped her build a chicken coop. Jenny had helped her dad build his own and felt confident in designing hers. Winston was efficient to put it lightly. She didn't have to worry about a lack of power tools thanks to him.

Jenny had Mestor create wood screws for her to use to make the coop sturdier. It was a shame she didn't have metal to work with, but this was a prehistoric setting. It would be odd if they did have metal.

The rain hampered their work, but Jenny had them crafting and assembling as much as she could while inside the den. Obviously, she couldn't assemble the whole thing there since she wouldn't be able to fit it through the door. Still, they were able to create each wall, roof, and elevated nesting boxes.

Jenny thought about creating a fence. She ran the ideas around in her head and mentioned them briefly. The following day, she had a fence. Gaping at the crazy speed at which Winston could accomplish goals, Jenny realized she had to be careful about what she would ask for in the future.

The rains kept her indoors mostly. The men would not let her out in that kind of weather. She saw the reason in that, but it didn't stop her from getting bored as heck. She weaved bamboo, carved wood, cooked, and exercised in doors to keep herself busy.

Simon would disappear a lot and come back battered. Jenny thought about kicking butt, but knew it was a stupid thought. It still made her feel better though, but only a tiny bit. Simon insisted that he was okay and not to worry. Jenny did anyway since that was one of her natural callings.

Mestor spilled Simon's secret to Jenny at one point and she relaxed. It wasn't strange to her at all. She too wanted to be stronger in some capacity. She secretly rooted for Simon and always had some extra food for him to eat ready and waiting for him.

Harvey came over rarely, but Jenny couldn't go visit him in this weather. She gave him some housewarming gifts that he only accepted after Jenny threatened to decorate his front porch with them. Jenny knew that wasn't a thing here, but Harvey knew she wasn't from here. She would never push it if it really made him uncomfortable.

Simon was generally exhausted after returning from his training. He would eat and pass out. Jenny would give him some reassuring pats while he was unconscious. It felt weird to do it while he was in a human shape, but figured she'd get over it. There were times that she used these moments to inspect Simon's fluffy ears. She had been in this fantasy world too long without doing that. She could no longer hold herself back.

One day Mestor caught her red handed and Jenny flinched exaggeratedly. "Do you like his ears that much?" Mestor questioned with a hurt expression.

Mestor was not actually upset. He just wanted to appear that way. If Jenny felt guilty, maybe she would give him that kind of attention too. After a successful attempt to manipulate the situation to his favor, Mestor found his own ears being caressed. Overjoyed with this result, Mestor made purring sounds and sat obediently in front of Jenny.

Jenny had to think about how she got to this point. She wasn't upset. No, far from it. She didn't have the guts to ask about fondling some adorable ears. Mestor was making some strange sounds that she could only interpret as happy ones. She had this sneaking suspicion that Mestor had never been hurt by her actions. Smirking, Jenny felt he was pretty good at acting, but not at a high level.

Since he probably messed with her, she did not feel bad about this situation. After getting her fix of fluff, Jenny stopped. Mestor seemed disappointed, but Jenny's arms were sore.

From that day forward, Mestor came to her for similar attention. Jenny's heart would always skip a beat, but she gave him what he wanted. It was the least she could do, since she wasn't quite ready to mate yet. Simon got jealous, when he was awake anyway, so Jenny gave him pets too. She half expected Winston to ask on several occasions, but he never did. She should've known better. He was never someone who voiced his wants directly. Still, Jenny found it hard to ask the very manly man if he wanted pets and cuddles.

One random day during the rainstorms. Jenny found a massive fish flopping on her doorstep. Taken aback, Jenny stared at the four foot, trout-looking fish unsure of what to do. Winston sniffed the air and growled while Jenny's gut feeling triggered. Sure enough, Sieg was standing in the rain inspecting her cleaning station.

"Umm, Sieg?" Jenny questioned lightly. Winston looked like he was ready to pounce so Jenny put a hand on his bicep to stop him. 'That's thick,' startled by her stupidly obvious realization, most of Jenny's tension dissipated.

Sieg looked up. His moss green eyes landed on Jenny first, then met Winston's before resting on Jenny again. He came because the smells of Jenny's meals enticed him. Curiosity dictated that he taste whatever it was she cooked. He could take the food by force, but he would have a hard time getting more in the future that way.

After observing city males from a distance, Sieg came up with an idea. "The meals you cook with fish," he said slowly. "I want to try." He brought the fish as both a gift and a part of the meal. He felt the saliva pool in his mouth as he looked at the dying fish. It took him three tries to catch one with out eating it.

Jenny found her situation pretty funny. Who knew that the alligator was a gourmet. Jenny wanted to find it as interesting as it probably was, but the tension in the air kept her from doing that.

Jenny hesitantly agreed, but mentioned that this was a trade. Sieg nodded and didn't debate with her. As long as Jenny wasn't accepting an actual gift, she could take it. Whether or not Sieg wanted to court her or even if she wanted to consider him, Jenny had to talk it out with her current family first. She wasn't willing to ask about another male when she had yet to solidify her current relationships.

Jenny pushed the incoming thoughts of mating from her head and focused on the meal. Jenny may be cooking for Sieg too, but she didn't invite him inside. Considering how tense the three men of the house already were, she could safely say that it wouldn't be a comfortable situation.

Mestor went out to clean the big fish while Jenny started dressing a bird that was recently hunted. As soon as her coop was built, they could have easy access to birds without the need to go hunt for them.

She got a pot of water, veggies, and meat going for the stock of the soup. She should be using more of the fish parts for soup, but Jenny still wasn't the biggest fan of fish flavor. Because of that, she never cooked fish like that. If her family did, she would always step out of the house to avoid the stink.

Jenny tried to make the soup great. She didn't want Sieg to kick up a fuss... Actually, she couldn't picture that. The guy radiates calm and 'I don't care if the world burns' vibes. Jenny didn't know if he had the ability to get worked up. She still made the soup delicious. There was no way she would make subpar food for a guest. He even supplied a quality ingredient. An ingredient that Mestor did a beautiful job filleting. It stung that his skills already caught up to hers, but Jenny was being a sore loser.

The males here were born to succeed and she would have to get over that fact. Jenny spent most of the afternoon cooking. It wasn't like she had plans to go out into the rain. They had plenty of water and Jenny was used to bathing in the extra room. She was keeping busy with crafts and had made herself another pair of clothes.

An unusual hissing sound sounded outside her den, drawing Jenny out of her thoughts. Growls soon accompanied and Jenny face palmed. Perhaps Sieg wouldn't get any food after all.

Winston rushed out and Jenny glanced out her window. A group of wolves were attacking a giant gator and Jenny swore. Of course this would happen. There went those dinner plans. The rain poured and mud splashed as the beasts fought. Winston tried to intervene. Even without the huge difference in strength, Sieg would have held the advantage. The ground was saturated and slippery which caused the wolves and even Winston to slip around awkwardly. Sieg, however, appeared completely at home fighting in this terrain.

Jenny wasn't sure what to do or if there was anything she could do. She decided to act first and think later. She shouted to get their attention, but no one responded to her. Winston might have thrown her a fast glance, but she couldn't tell in the chaos. Simon and Mestor pulled her away from the window, but Jenny wasn't satisfied.

Jenny heard some unfortunate crunching sounds and did something reckless. She pushed open her front door and screamed at the brawling violence addicts. "Will you all knock it off! Take it somewhere else if you have to!" Jenny hated how her voice cracked, but at least she had volume. They might actually notice through their fight.

Winston was the first to back off. It was only now that Jenny noticed that he was on his own. She had assumed he was defending the wolves, but it appeared to be more of a three way throw down. Sieg looked at her and two of the wolves shot forward thanks to that opening.

Using his tail, Sieg launched his massive body right into one of the wolves. He knew its teeth would not be able to pierce his scales, if it could even get that far. The wolf was knocked thirty feet back from the impact. Said wolf slammed into a tree and did not move again. The second wolf had his leg seized by Sieg's maw.

The wolf struggle and Sieg bit down, snapping the bone. The wolf whimpered and Sieg tossed him away. The third wolf looked ready to strike again until Winston roared. The tiger shifted and Winston looked at the wolf. "Enough. This isn't your territory. You will die if you continue."

Shuu shifted and rebuked, "You let a feral into your territory!" Shuu snarled. "It is a danger to the city!"

Jenny watched feeling like a useless decoration. Mestor and Simon were both growling restlessly and she was just standing there gaping at the monster sized animals trying to wreck each other. Was there any chance this could end well?

Taking a look at the maybe dead wolf, Jenny figured that was a solid 'no.' Things were already bad. Winston and Shuu squabbled with some very serious sounding growls. Sieg shifted and asked the craziest question. "Is the food ready yet?"

Jenny laughed cynically. Of course she did. How couldn't she? The man in front of her beat the living crap out of two other guys who were hellbent on killing him and all he wants to know is when dinner will be ready. He isn't even out of breath. This was crazy.

Feeling overwhelming stupid for treating such a shitty situation like this, Jenny sobered up real quick. Shuu probably thought she was crazy, Winston might too. Mestor and Simon were both tense. The only one who looked unfazed was of course, Sieg.

"Almost. Any chance you all can stop fighting?" Jenny asked with low expectations. Sieg shrugged and Shuu growled. The conscious, battered wolf whined and Winston stared with a stony expression on his face. "I don't think it's going to go well if you continue," Jenny turned and said that to Shuu.

"Are you defending the feral?" Shuu asked in surprise.

Jenny felt a headache coming on. Why did it always have to be black or white with beastmen? Couldn't she just really hate violence? It's like mating, courting, and fighting are always at the forefront of their expectations and thoughts. Jenny watched Sieg swallow while peeking into her home. Okay, at least this guy's priority is a little different.

"I want to eat my meal in peace and this male wasn't being a danger," Jenny said with as much conviction as she could muster. Sieg was being a bother, but not a threat. At least, not to her. The wolves might disagree.

Winston spoke to the Shuu, essentially validating her statement. Realizing she left the food cooking, Jenny ran back in to stir it. Mestor and Simon followed closely. She felt like a VIP with a detail. All they needed now were some matching back suits and sunglasses.

Unable to appreciate the humor right now, Jenny asked Mestor to keep watch on the proceedings. Jenny wanted to let the soup simmer longer, but served it anyway. Hungry beastmen were more likely to cause trouble. Plus, she figured if Sieg got his food, he would leave. It wasn't like the soup was bad, far from it. Jenny just had a perfectionist streak and felt a little bitter about serving it early.

Jenny walked to the door nervously, but heard no more sounds of battle. The wolves were gone and a very wet Winston stared down an uninterested Sieg. She called in Winston and handed a large bowl to Sieg. He stared at the food so hard that she thought his gaze might shatter the bowl. He took it and started draining the contents. The spoon she had brought was still in her hands.

Sieg didn't swallow all of the food. No, he savored it for two breaths longer than necessary. He made the right decision. Saving the fish and offering it was correct. He finished his potion and handed the bowl back.

Jenny dropped the spoon and tried not to choke. The image that she had of Sieg crumbled. His sunny smile struck her as too strange. Mechanically taking the bowl after receiving fatal mental damage, Jenny refilled it. Mestor offered to take it to Sieg and Jenny let him.

Feeling off kilter, Jenny blankly served the rest of the food. When Simon fussed over her, she stuck a spoon of soup into his mouth. Now Simon was glowing and Jenny robotically continued feeding him.

Simon could die happy now. He didn't know why Jenny wanted to feed him, but he was overjoyed. So much so that he completely forgot about the male outside or the fight that happened a short time ago.

Mestor and Winston stole glances at Jenny and Simon's interaction. They were both feeling left out and envious. Winston didn't voice his opinion, but Mestor was different. He didn't lack confidence and knew how to use things to his advantage. Mestor sat on Jenny's other side, close enough for his tail to curl around her. When Jenny glanced at him he pointed to his mouth and opened it.

Jenny's vision sharpened as her current situation hit her. Finding no reason to deny him, Jenny shoved a spoonful in his mouth. Like that, Jenny fed the two until Winston growled.

Winston got there attention and motioned to Jenny's mouth. If Jenny wanted to show such care to her males, Winston wouldn't complain, but Jenny had yet to eat a single bite. He wouldn't eat any until she did. Feeling his own stomach growl, Winston flushed lightly.

Mestor and Simon exchanged looks. They knew what they did wrong. Simon apologized while Mestor came up with an idea. He spooned some soup and held it up to Jenny.

Now, Jenny's mind was really there and pretty embarrassed. The soup was dripping and she should eat it. She knew that was the right answer, but it was still tough. Swallowing up any useless feelings with the soup, Jenny let herself be fed. She didn't know if she'd ever get to experience this again, so she took it.

Feeling bolder, Jenny lifted up a spoon again, but contemplated logical thought process. Morality and fairness dictated that she feed Winston too. Understanding that was one thing, but execution of the task was another.

While frozen in her thoughts, Jenny's spoon hovered. The males around her speculated on which of them would be the lucky one to receive the next bite. To their surprise, Winston was chosen. Simon and Mestor bowed their heads in acknowledgement. Neither one were upset if it was Winston.

Winston, on the other hand, came closer slowly. As if he would spook a fawn with sudden movement, he padded silently and carefully. Winston confirmed that he was not hallucinating from scorpion venom and took the bite. His ears trembled and his tail swayed.

Jenny felt like she was on some kind of show. The men around her were acting funny and dramatically. Mestor and Simon looked like they were rooting for her and Winston appeared shell-shocked. Jenny wondered if Winston might not like this kind of display. She didn't think he would mind it, but his reaction was pretty comical.

After a few more bites, Winston loosened up and bloomed like a manly flower. He almost knocked out Jenny. No, they all were dealing her damage. So many handsome men were smiling at her today. She was weaker to mental attacks than she thought.

Jenny decided that she was going to get over this one way or another. How else would she be able to take advantage of this god-given opportunity? She would stare at these smiles and enjoy it.

After an internal debate was settled by Jenny, the family fed each other. Winston was still on cloud nine. Simon and Mestor seemed to be competing for spoons. Jenny found it all ridiculous, but enjoyed it anyway. Sieg was patiently waiting outside for a refill, but the rest were too distracted to pay him any mind.

After all stomachs were settled, Sieg left and the family relaxed. Jenny wasn't feeling up to making any crafts, so she made small talk instead. Winston was obviously much happier and was actually expressing that. Simon and Mestor were beaming. Jenny couldn't help but return those smiles.

After some light conversations, Jenny got crafting. Mestor joined her, being the most dexterous of the males in the den. Simon did some cleaning and Winston went over some plans with the other two.

Essentially, the plans went: gather this, hunt that, build a thing, etcetera. Jenny listened with half an ear and contributed with anything relevant. When she got hungry later, she heated up leftover soup.

The night came and they all went to sleep. Jenny slept better than she thought she would. She felt... comfortable even.